Some operational ideas for August
The last week of July is here. The jellyfish have taken over waters in the sea, the thermometer won’t go below 35 before the sun goes down, and the most dramatic part – the summer camps are about to end. According to some unwritten rule, most of the summer camps take place in July. As a result, in August, the working parents must find other charming solutions. Some avoid the experience of juggling between children – work – heat – home and escape out of the country (with the kids, typically, the intention being to find a cooler place and take some time off from the office).
Some bring the kids to their office (if the camp doesn’t come to Mohamad, Muhamad explains the issue to HR and they organize a camp at the workplace).
Some actually accept the challenge and attempt juggling. This surely produces many pleasant stories (This week mt friend sent me a picture of the laundry detergent box of the machine filled with dog food under the heading "Can I be more tired than this? "). But we are here to try to make your lives easier at least in the food preparation area. We understand that this is an endless task (along with the dishes and laundry, of course).
The advantages of ordering a weekly organic vegetable and fruit box is the saving of time (no need to come in to the store – even though you are always invited to enjoy a green juice chaser!), you don’t necessarily have to put together an order. Also, you eat exactly what is currently ripe, fresh from the garden, suitable for the season and good for the body.
There is also the element of adventure and surprise inherent in receiving a box full of "surprises", and sometimes, mainly at the beginning, you could use Google, or friends with culinary experience to understand exactly which green leaves you received. The downside (tiny!!) is that it is a good idea to use a little logistic planning in order to best use the contents.
Here are a few options: The vegetables suitable for salad (tomato, cucumber, lettuce, peppers, sprouts, parsley, and such) can be placed in the dedicated drawer in the refrigerator. From there it's easy to pull them out whenever you make a salad, and in the summer you can actually do this for lunch or dinner. If you like a little diversity, you can add to the drawer a few carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi and the like.
The other drawer is occupied by everything that is not eaten in its uncooked form, such as: zucchini, eggplants, beets (although it is delicious as raw carpaccio), a piece of pumpkin and the like. This would be the quiche / Gratin / Soup drawer. Its contents can be steamed, chopped, add some eggs and a little cheese (or a vegan substitute) and into the oven.
Even those who a healthy diet that is good for the body are sometimes challenged when the kids are on vacation and the frequency of opening the refrigerator rockets toward noon. If you start the morning with a good shake, and you want to offer the children a taste too, you are invited to try one of the following options: a creamy avocado shake or a satisfying chocolaty shake. They are also suitable for picky children, because they are truly delicious as well as satisfying, so at least you can be at ease until brunch time (which starts at 12 because before 10 they do not wake up anyway) and you do not have to worry about them eating junk.
In order to make the first shake, put half of a small, ripe avocado, a banana, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, a teaspoon of cinnamon and one cup of almond milk into the cup of a stick-blender (or any other machine you use). I sometimes replace the almond milk with a glass of water with almond paste (approximately 2 teaspoons). Blend together, taste, take a picture of the surprised expression due to it tasting so good, and send it to friends so that they can offer it to their household.
For the second shake, blend together a banana, two dates, two teaspoons of cocoa (or even cacao, it does matter1) and half a cup of milk – it can be almond, oatmeal or coconut milk, depending on what you prefer. This results in a particularly tasty chocolaty smoothie. Its thicker version (a little less milk) can be poured into glasses and refrigerated, producing a kind of delicious "pudding", that can definitely compete against the store bought ones.
Have a fun and cool summer!
Yours,
The team at Maggie's Garden
Forecast:
In the ORGANIC vegetable baskets we expect (draft only):
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Leek
Thyme
Potatoes
Onion
Pumpkin
Carrots
The LARGE organic vegetable baskets also include:
Cabbage
Parsley
Corn
In the organic fruit baskets:
Watermelon
Bananas
Mango
The LARGE organic fruit baskets also include:
Melon
Grapes
New! New! Organic Green Basket:
Kale
New Zealand spinach
Another kind of lettuce
Cilantro
Sprouts
Mint
Green onion
Dill
